Abergowrie State School

General Information

Situated 140 km north of Townsville (and 40km north-west of Ingham) on the Herbert River, Abergowrie is a relatively young school. Established in 1953 to serve a soldier settlement for servicemen returning from the Second World War, the school is surrounded by sugar cane farms and is in close proximity to the Abergowrie College. Our school services the education needs of primary school students from Long Pocket towards Ingham to the end of Abergowrie Road at the Girringun National Park.

History

In it's early years, Abergowrie State School had provided government education for families residing in the area, to support the then thriving sugar cane industry. The school's enrollment numbers had steadily increased until the early 90's, when the student population peaked above 100 students. Extensions to the school throughout this period included a demountable pre-school unit and major extensions to the main building to accommodate the then growing population. However, with technological advancements in the sugar industry, the human workforce that was required for harvesting and planting became obsolete and in a relatively short time, the town's population had substantially diminished. Currently, 19 students are enrolled. Recently, the preschool building has been turned into a functional kitchen/tuckshop area and multi-purpose room.

Principals

1953-2005 - List required
2005-2006 - Mr Keith Josey
2006-2007 - Ms Jennifer-Ann Harburn-Vicig
2008-Current - Mr Andrew Kiss

2009 School Year

At Abergowrie, students enjoy access to numerous proven programs which aide in their learning. Students utilise the Mathsmate homework program, Mathletics online learning website, Reading A-to-Z online reading and use Go Maths as a tool to progress their learning skills. The school is continually staying "tech smart" with the computer to student ratio now at 1:1, and all Year 7 students now having access to a personal laptop while at school. Abergowrie State School also uses interactive whiteboards and staff place strong emphasis on connecting students to the world through ICTs (Information, Communication and Technologies). In 2009 the school aims to continue developing it's ICT infrastructure with increased wireless access across the school, utilising and learning with GPS technology and investigating new ways to educate students for the future.

More information can be obtained from the school's website: [1]